10/17/2026
So before we head out we need to talk the sadness that can come with homesteading and breeding in general. We have arranged and rearranged our set up so many times over the years to keep all of our team protected and healthy, I honestly feel I have lost count. Now, we have a near perfectly structured bunny barn and are thrilled on how it functions and looks, but here’s the unfortunate part. Even with how protected we are, it doesn’t always save everyone.
Recently our daughter wanted to take on a new project not only to help out our homestead but to start showing a different breed all together. She decided to start breeding Californian’s and naturally she received 100% of our support and she dove right in. Let me tell you this breeding pair is the cutest (almost wish we thought of it). Last night when we were feeding and tucking everyone in before we leave, we find her Californian doe passed away. We suspect mega colon but unless we preform a necropsy it’s just suspicion at this point but signs are there.
Here’s where the lesson comes in. We go inside to tell Victoria and while she was sad, she immediately started thinking of where to find a new doe. It’s not that she doesn’t care or was not sad, after all this was her project with her money, but she just simply understands. One thing we have always talked about to our children and with other breeders is “you can’t have livestock without deadstock”. And to say it bluntly, it is 100% true, because where there is life there is also death. No matter what precautions we take we can’t prevent everything, and there are times the human intervention (culling soft or hard) is needed for the betterment of the animal or your program. You can’t keep them all and you can’t save them all.
Would we have loved Lagoona Blue to have worked out and made babies absolutely, but it wasn’t in the cards. If it is megacolon we definitely don’t want to pass those genetics on so this in Victoria’s mind was a blessing in disguise but doesn’t mean the hurt is totally gone. The sadness for her will soon fade as she still has her mind set on this project and as parents again we support her 100%. Now we have little Gill Webber and our tough gal on the lookout for Lagoona Two (she’s always quick with a pun or an off the cuff thought). This life isn’t easy but for us even with the unexpected it’s still worth it. As always if anyone has questions or simply wants to talk, we are always here and willing to lend an ear. We hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and blessed day.
